Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm in one of those boring office cubicle jobs with all the mundane paperwork, number-crunching, office politics, and general boredom and overall sense that I'm not doing anything of real value to society.
I'm 35, married with a car, mortgage, kid.....you know the drill. I want to do something that gives me a sense of accomplishment, a sense that I'm actually making the world better( forgive the cheese factor there). I'm at that age where I'm kind of between my 20's youth and mid-life. I know I'm still young enough to train for a more fulfilling, hopefully long-lasting career, but I was curious as to how many others are in a similar boat and what are you doing to improve your lot in life? I recognize that all I do nowadays( at home) is ***** about my job, but the only person who can change that is me and I have to take charge of getting myself out of the rut. I told my wife that I can be a much better father and husband if I'm happier on the inside, in terms of my career and having a sense of purpose( outside my family of course).
I'm 35, married with a car, mortgage, kid.....you know the drill.
I want to do something that gives me a sense of accomplishment, a sense that...
I told my wife that I can be a much better father and husband if I'm happier on the inside...
Who's with me here?
Everyone is with you.
Well, everyone except those who don't have that job.
(you know, the one that'll secure the marriage, car, mortgage, kid and so forth.)
About 10 years ago and hopefully in another five you might be able to do more than
just entertain these notions and actually do something about that sense of X.
Until then, unless something suitable drops out of the sky into your lap... find a hobby.
Greg1977- I appreciate your insight on the BBALL forum, we've disagreed a few times but you know your stuff.
Tough but its not impossible to reinvent yourself in these times. Takes good timing and luck. I look at a career as something you spend a quarter maybe a bit more of your life on each week. Its easy to change the other 3 quarters and make them more meaningful.
You seem to like sports- Have you thought about coaching? This can provide a "sense of accomplishment, a sense that I'm actually making the world better"
majority of work is essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of things, no matter how much your boss pays you, unless of course you start your own business and excell at it. the grass will not be greener though, because the very notion of owning business implies 24/7 commitment, insane working hours and a very real risk of bankruptcy.
just face it - you are a normal person, nobody will remember you when you are dead (besides your close friends and immediate family memebers who will die soon afterwards), the society at large doesnt give a crap about what you do beyond commenting on your cute facebook pictures, so just relax, enjoy your life, travel extensively, and do what feels right.
@ Mr. Rational....I understand and agree with the concept of making my life outside work fulfilling i.e getting a hobby. I'm hopeful that I can break the monotony of my current job. I just refuse to accept that this is all there is to life( is it?), a dreary, mundane existence of pushing paperwork and increasing profits for a private corp. There has to be....
@ Jobaba may I ask what you've gone back to school for, and what are you hoping/expecting to get out of it at the end....?
@ Eastcoastbias I recall our BBall chats, no worries on the disagreements, it's the internet lol! As you can tell I do love sports( Bball in particular) but never considered coaching as a career, at least not at any level above high-school. As for what I'm looking at, I've tossed around several ideas but I'm considering getting into early childhood development/education.
@ pzrOrange lol yeah I was stopping short of calling it a mid-"youth" crisis . Your advice is rather sombering( though rooted in reality certainly). I guess I'm at the point where I'm trying to think outside the box, and take control of my life as best I can. I don't have the need to feel or look important to others, but I do have the need and desire to do something that 'really' matters. There's just an empty feeling that comes with sitting in a cubicle, staring at a computer screen, reading and sorting through hundreds of emails daily, crunching numbers, and working towards fattening some business owner's bottom-line for a paltry salary. I'm not saying it isn't a viable kind of job and I'm not speaking ill of people who do that and love it, but it's not for me.
@ Jobaba may I ask what you've gone back to school for, and what are you hoping/expecting to get out of it at the end....? also ask him how many others he is responsible for while doing that
@ pzrOrange lol yeah I was stopping short of calling it a mid-"youth" crisis . Your advice is rather sombering( though rooted in reality certainly). I guess I'm at the point where I'm trying to think outside the box, and take control of my life as best I can. It's NOT a mid life crisis. It's all quite normal
@ Mr. Rational....I understand and agree with the concept of making my life outside work fulfilling i.e getting a hobby. I'm hopeful that I can break the monotony of my current job. I just refuse to accept that this is all there is to life...
No one said that's all (well I didn't) nor that it's unreasonable to want more.
My comments are only about the CURRENT job market.
If you can maintain the current job & responsibilities and have the time/money to attend school
for something to qualify you for something else... that's great. Do it and consider yourself lucky.
Very few could pull that off.
No one said that's all (well I didn't) nor that it's unreasonable to want more.
My comments are only about the CURRENT job market.
If you can maintain the current job & responsibilities and have the time/money to attend school
for something to qualify you for something else... that's great. Do it and consider yourself lucky.
Very few could pull that off.
I haven't suggested that you or anyone else said that it's unreasonable. I'm simply trying to get a discussion started with those who may be in similar circumstances and of like-mind on the topic. I'm quite aware of the risks associated with trying to make a move, with responsibilities, under the current job climate.
The main thing I don't want to do, is tell myself I can't do it. That's self-defeating. I'd rather try and (worse case scenario) fail than to not make the attempt at all. That's true failure in my book. Of course I wouldn't make a move without the support of my family, and after looking at every possible scenario. I'm certainly not going to leap without looking.
I haven't suggested that you or anyone else said that it's unreasonable. I'm simply trying to get a discussion started with those who may be in similar circumstances and of like-mind on the topic. I'm quite aware of the risks associated with trying to make a move, with responsibilities, under the current job climate.
The main thing I don't want to do, is tell myself I can't do it. That's self-defeating. I'd rather try and (worse case scenario) fail than to not make the attempt at all. That's true failure in my book. Of course I wouldn't make a move without the support of my family, and after looking at every possible scenario. I'm certainly not going to leap without looking.
What you can do is talk to some people in the field that you want to go into and tell them your situation and ask if it is worth it. I did this and surprisingly to me, most people told me it'd be a good idea.
If you have no idea what field you want to go into, what degree you need to get there, how much time and how expensive it will be, and what sacrifices will need to be made, then I'd just say you just have GIGS for practical reasons and are just venting. But, nothing wrong with that.
Have you ever thought about volunteering at a church or a food bank or a hospital ...? You may get some personal fulfillment out of that.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
.
. Your advice is rather sombering( though rooted in reality certainly). I guess I'm at the point where I'm trying to think outside the box, and take control of my life as best I can. I don't have the need to feel or look important to others, but I do have the need and desire to do something that 'really' matters. There's just an empty feeling that comes with sitting in a cubicle, staring at a computer screen, reading and sorting through hundreds of emails daily, crunching numbers, and working towards fattening some business owner's bottom-line for a paltry salary. I'm not saying it isn't a viable kind of job and I'm not speaking ill of people who do that and love it, but it's not for me.
